Chapter 288: Seven Apertures Qi Root, Dragon Heart Ancestral Reversion Elixir

The crafting of a lifebound artifact, guided by the cultivation method, requires little effort and can be completed naturally; the cultivator merely needs to provide spiritual power. This is due to the unique crafting method of lifebound artifacts. The artifact is not inscribed with standard artifact runes, but rather with the operational pathways of the "Ice Soul Sacred Demonic Scripture." Its magical power, aside from effects derived from materials, is initially dormant. This explains why a lifebound artifact doesn't require specific materials, only attribute compatibility; its power is an extension of the cultivator's own abilities. This is why it can grow as the cultivator's realm advances, and also why it's difficult for others to fully utilize the power of another cultivator's lifebound artifact.

The Aurora Evasion Technique, Ice Soul Divine Light, and the Twelve Phases of Guanghan can all merge with the Glazed Ice Heart Tower, allowing the artifact to amplify their power. Furthermore, even detached from the cultivator, the artifact can still wield these divine abilities.

In ancient, dominant forces like the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect, all nine peaks and the one hall possess what are known as Ancestral Artifacts. These are lifebound artifacts nurtured by ancient predecessors, possessing sentience, and are also referred to as Spirit Treasures! They are genuine fifth-tier treasures. Any successor of the same cultivation lineage, once recognized by the artifact's spirit, can wield the Ancestral Artifact's power. Currently, the Ancestral Artifacts of the nine peaks are all held by their respective Peak Lords. Among the Peak Lord's disciples, whoever earns the Ancestral Artifact's recognition can legitimately become a "Young Peak Lord" or "Young Sect Master."

Wang Yu was unsure about the situation in the other peaks. However, at Cold Blood Peak, Yan Ling had four senior disciples before her who all failed. If Yan Ling were to fail, they would have to wait for the next generation of true disciples, or alternatively, she could undergo the artifact spirit's trial through other channels. In any case, selecting the Ancestral Artifact's successor is the primary task to be resolved before a Peak Lord's demise.

As Wang Yu crafted the artifact, these thoughts briefly crossed his mind. In his right hand, the orange-yellow Samadhi True Fire had already formed the casing for the Feng Shui Compass. At the center of the heavy, earth-toned copper compass, molten dark copper transformed into hair-thin copper tubes, resembling celestial instruments. A portion of the surrounding Qi from all directions flowed into them. Fine copper rings rapidly merged, evolving from numerous chaotic strands into copper rings the thickness of willow branches, suspended about an inch above the compass, with a black orb at their center.

This was significantly different from the ancient Feng Shui Compass Long Yiran had shown previously, likely due to its age and the loss of some functionalities over time. In essence, most Feng Shui secret arts documented in the Earth Mother Scripture require the use of a Feng Shui Compass. It can discern Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, Yin-Yang and Five Elements, the Chronoscope Sundial, and even the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of directions. Besides dedicating considerable effort to studying the Qi-Gazing Golden Eyes, he had also delved into numerous other Feng Shui secret arts. However, many were still at a rudimentary stage, and he hadn't yet had the opportunity to utilize them. If the Feng Shui Compass could be successfully refined, he ought to further study these Feng Shui secret arts. Perhaps he would have an opportunity to put them into practice when visiting the "Ancient Burial Pit."

Crafting artifacts was quite time-consuming; even though both items were relatively simple, they took significantly longer than alchemy.

Thus, when Tantai Chan woke up to find Wang Yu in seclusion, she couldn't help but feel a little disheartened, recalling the previous day. She quickly found clothes from her storage bag and changed. Just as she pushed open her door, a floating jade slip suddenly appeared, and Wang Yu's voice emanated from it. The message explained that he would instruct Yu Tangtang in alchemy when she arrived a month later, and his seclusion was not an intentional avoidance. Tantai Chan felt a sense of relief. She had feared that her "unusual" behavior had negatively affected Wang Yu's perception of her, leading him to feel aversion. The message immediately put her mind at ease. Only then did she promptly leave Wang Yu's cave dwelling.

A month later.

It was the 61st day of his elder career.

"Wang Yu, come quickly and see what I've brought for you!" Yu Tangtang's lively and adorable voice suddenly echoed. Her petite, gourd-like figure, after circling the room and not finding Wang Yu, immediately pouted. "—Wang Yu!!"

"I'm coming, Sister Tangtang."

Rewind a little in time.

In the cultivation chamber, Wang Yu had painstakingly toiled for a month, and two artifacts had successively emerged. The Glazed Ice Heart Tower was a hexagonal tower, thirteen stories tall. It was comprised of four sections: the base, body, spire, and finial. Its color was a deep blue, like profound ice, and under sunlight, a vibrant, glazed light flowed across its body, making it remarkably beautiful. The finial, crafted from thousand-year ice marrow jade and a Cold Moon Pearl, was particularly striking, appearing icy blue and translucent like jade. Snow Mountain Profound Heavy Iron and two Yin-attributed materials were integrated into the base and body to enhance its durability and initial mass. Ice Soul Stone was liquefied, leaving carvings of the Twelve Phases of Guanghan on each level of the tower's body. The uppermost level depicted a frosty moon traversing the sky.

The Glazed Ice Tower was spinning gracefully in his palm. As a newly crafted lifebound artifact, its initial grade was naturally third-tier low-grade. However, it could upgrade in sync with Wang Yu's cultivation, becoming an indispensable part of a cultivator's power after core formation. As a tower-type artifact, it naturally possessed abilities like sealing and suppression. However, its capacity for divine power amplification and spiritual "purification" was unique to Wang Yu. Common effects, such as size manipulation, were also present. An artifact's size manipulation is typically achieved by proportionally enlarging it using spiritual power, with the maximum size determined by the power output. It is said that the spiritual power of a God Transformation cultivator is sufficient to make an enlarged artifact last eternally. Wang Yu currently did not understand this and could not achieve it.

The Glazed Ice Heart Tower was still in its initial state. Only after Wang Yu mastered his lifebound divine ability and subsequently communicated and merged with the artifact could it truly be deployed in combat.

Thus, after observing it for a short while, he stored it within his inner Qi Sea for spiritual power nourishment. In contrast, the other treasure, the Feng Shui Compass, appeared quite ordinary. It was a functional treasure whose effectiveness depended entirely on the cultivator's skill, thus not falling within conventional grade classifications. The mastery of Feng Shui arcane arts determined the upper limit of the compass's power. Additionally, integrating the Qi mechanisms from natural wonders and evolving their changes could enhance the Feng Shui Compass's effects. If forced to compare them, one Feng Shui Compass could only be measured against another; the more Qi mechanisms from natural wonders integrated, the more potent it would be. The Spirit Reversal Blood Sect possessed a ready-made earth formation, which Wang Yu naturally wouldn't overlook. Collecting Qi mechanisms from these wonders would not affect the Feng Shui formation itself and would be difficult to detect. Therefore, there was no need to worry about any unfounded consequences.

After completing all these tasks and storing everything in his Qi Sea, Tantai Chan arrived even before Yu Tangtang. He now heard Sister Tangtang's call. Wang Yu, adjusting his clothes with slightly hurried breaths, parted the beaded curtain at the back of the hall and spoke calmly. "I was just instructing Tantai Chan in alchemy. Come with me."

Yu Tangtang looked at him suspiciously. "Wang Yu, you smell like Little Chan'er."

"It must be because we were too close while I was instructing her in alchemy." Wang Yu responded without a change in expression, smoothly diverting the conversation: "Sister Tangtang, what did you say you wanted to show me?"

"Oh, right." Although Yu Tangtang was nearly a hundred years old, her mentality was still akin to that of a five or six-year-old child, restricted by her physical form. Having been this way for so many years, her mind had naturally found it difficult to mature. Coupled with her bright silver hair, she resembled a cute and delicate doll. Children are prone to forgetfulness, and Wang Yu's interruption immediately diverted her attention.

"Look at this! Tangtang searched for ages, and Daddy finally found it for me. He said if you can refine this pill formula, this spiritual item is yours."

"Oh?" Wang Yu's eyes lit up, for in Yu Tangtang's hand was precisely the last ingredient he had long sought: the Seven-Orifice Qi Root! It was the final primary ingredient for the ancient "Exquisite Inner Core" pill formula. He currently had a vast amount to learn, and the Exquisite Inner Core, which could enhance comprehension, would undoubtedly be a significant aid, greatly accelerating his progress. Yu Tangtang's arrival with the Seven-Orifice Qi Root was truly timely. As for the pill formula for the Exquisite Inner Core, he had already studied and shelved it, though it wasn't yet perfected... In short, he just needed to fully complete both his alchemy skills and the pill formula. He was determined to refine a top-grade Exquisite Inner Core! Alchemy still required twenty years to advance. Previously, he hadn't considered it a long time, but now it felt somewhat drawn out. He could try to prioritize empty slots to complete his alchemy skills to the third tier as quickly as possible. Then, by using the enhanced comprehension granted by the Exquisite Inner Core to boost various divine abilities and secret arts, he might not be delayed, and perhaps even accelerate his progress.

As for the pill formula Yu Tangtang mentioned, it was indeed a peculiar technique. The ingredients for the "Dragon Heart Ancestral Blood Pill" were incredibly complex and numerous, exceeding a hundred different types. The most crucial primary ingredient was the essence blood of a fourth-tier flood dragon. The more essence blood used, the better the refined pill's effect. Its primary function was to purify the bloodline and enhance one's foundational strength. Yu Tangtang was already a Earth-grade pure-blood flood dragon. The next stage, Heaven-grade bloodline, signified terrifying potential to achieve God Transformation through normal cultivation. While a third-tier spiritual pill certainly couldn't directly elevate one to a Heaven-grade bloodline, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Without consistent daily accumulation, how could one ever reach the day of breaking the cocoon and transforming into a butterfly? The pill's excellent effects meant it wasn't just useful for Yu Tangtang; by modifying some of its ingredients, Wang Yu believed it could also benefit his Dragon Spine cultivation. He had experienced the benefits of strengthening one's foundation years ago by repeatedly using dragon blood secret medicine. While his cultivation realm wouldn't breakthrough, his physical strength grew day by day. It brought a pervasive sense of comfort, as if there were no limits to its potential.

"I understand." He took the pill formula and materials; the primary ingredient was, without a doubt, the essence blood of the Blood-eyed Demonic Flood Dragon. He was truly generous! Demonic beast essence blood is often challenging to cultivate, with only a few drops being extractable from an entire body of blood. However, a late-stage Nascent Soul Demonic Flood Dragon King surely possessed several thousand drops of essence blood. Using it to enhance Yu Tangtang's foundation seemed like a worthwhile investment. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Sister Tangtang, this pill formula has many variations, and its quality can fluctuate greatly. I'll need time to study it. Let's say... three years. I'll begin refining the pill after three years."

"Alright."